When operating an automobile, road visibility is essential for safe driving. Many factors can affect visibility, including precipitation, fog, dirt and debris on the windshield, and darkness. Most of these can be overcome by headlights, fog lights, windshield wipers, and windshield washers. The most insidious, dangerous, and difficult to overcome, however, is the blinding light of sun glare.
Sun glare is most problematic while driving during the morning and evening, when the sun is at a low angle in the sky. The bright light of the sun can prevent the driver from seeing other cars or pedestrians in his or her path. It can be continuous, such as while driving westbound in the evening rush hour, or it can be sudden and intermittent, such as when driving on a curvy road and the driver is suddenly face to face with the sun.
The ubiquitous sun visor is a driver's first line of defense. All conventional automobiles include sun visors for the driver and front seat passenger. The conventional sun visor is attached to the vehicle with a stem assembly that allows it to be selectively stored in an upward position, lowered to extend before the windshield, and pivoted to extend by the side window. Since the sun visor is only capable of shielding a small portion of the windshield or side window, the sun visor is most effective when the sun remains at a fixed position relative to the automobile, and shines either completely through the windshield or completely through one of the side windows.
Accordingly, one major limitation of using a conventional sun visor is best realized when the sun is shining partially on the windshield and partially on the side window. In such a case, since the visor cannot be simultaneously deployed both in front of the windshield and on the side window, the blinding sun glare cannot be blocked by the visor.
Various visor extenders and attachments have been devised and attempted by others. While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present disclosure as disclosed hereafter.
In the present disclosure, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant in an attempt to solve any problem with which the present disclosure is concerned.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate the present disclosure, no technical aspects are disclaimed and it is contemplated that the claims may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.